It is not feasible to calculate ninja and non-ninja experience separately for each encounter under existing systems. (For years, MyWorld has used either a simple self-calculating spreadsheet or a BASIC program to calculate the total experience earned by the party, and divide it into shares for the characters. These systems would work from a specified total number of shares, divide for multiclassed characters and for henchmen and retainers, and add 10% to those who receive experience point bonuses for high prime requisite ability scores. This saved a great deal of time in distributing experience, but made it impractical to distribute ninja experience on an encounter-by-encounter basis.) Therefore, this alternative will be used.

Your contribution viaPatreonorPayPal Mekeeps this site and its author alive.Thank you.

There are four possible scenarios: an adventure in which only ninja skills are used, one in which only non-ninja skills are used, one in which skills of both types are used, and one in which no class-related skills are used.

If no class-related skills are used, the character will be graded and receive experience in both classes. If a character participated in a non-skill fashion, such as contributing actively to decisions or encounter negotiations, this will be regarded as non-ninja skills unless there is a preponderance of evidence to the contrary. This will not affect the division of experience if the character clearly used ninja skills and did not use any other non-ninja skills.

If skills of both types are used, the character will again receive grades and experience in both classes. Experience will be evenly split in these cases, as for a multi-classed character.

If skills of only one class or only the other class are used, the character will receive full experience and a grade in that class, but for purposes of the other class he will be deemed not to have been present.

Non-weapon proficiencies will be deemed non-ninja skills unless there is a preponderance of evidence to the contrary. The tests for ninja combat may be applied to non-weapon proficiencies. Iajutsu in a ninja weapon is a ninja skill (unless it is a wu jen or sohei weapon of choice or bushi specialization).

Combat will be deemed a non-ninja skill for bushi and sohei unless there is a preponderance of evidence to the contrary. These tests indicate ninja combat: 1) Combat with a ninja weapon which is not a weapon of choice or specialization for the other class; 2) Combat in a disguise which obscures the ninja's identity or is intended to do so; 3) Combat during what is otherwise clearly a ninja mission in which the character's non-ninja class and identity play no part; 4) Combat initiated against the character because he is discovered to be a ninja, or pre-emptively by the ninja against a character who may have so discovered. This list of tests is not exclusive.

For the Bushi and the Sohei, any combat which is not ninja combat is the use of skills in the other class. For the Wu Jen, Yakuza, and Alchemist, combat is not a skill related to either class. Use of a weapon of choice is sohei skill use, but not wu jen skill use. Use of a weapon of specialization is bushi skill use.

For the Wu Jen and the Sohei, spell use constitutes non-ninja activity.

The Bushi scrounge rule constitutes Bushi activity if the equipment found is purchased, but activity in both classes if it is stolen.

For the Alchemist, any use of potion or chemical magic constitutes non-ninja activity. Furthermore, if one of the stated purposes of the venture is to acquire potions or ingredients (and this is not just an incidental part of the venture), this constitutes non-ninja activity.

For all character combinations other than the yakuza/ninja, any use of thief skills constitutes ninja activity. For the yakuza, such skill use implicates the ninja class if it is one of the skills not common to the yakuza class. These skills are Find and Remove Traps, Climb Walls, Disguise, Tightrope Walk, Pole Vault, Fall, Escape, and Backstab. Thief skills which implicate the yakuza class are Hear Noise, Investigate, and Contacts.

Any use of any ki power implicates the class for which that ki power exists.

A ninja character in a position of leadership will be deemed to be performing a ninja function only if he is leading only ninjas and their henchmen and followers, or if he is leading a venture with a clearly ninja primary purpose. Otherwise, all leadership for purposes of grades and experience division will be considered a non-ninja skill.

Total experience is not altered by this rule, except in cases in which the character is entitled to a ten-percent bonus to experience in the non-ninja class.